[Food] Guest Post: Courgette & Thyme Ravioli

When I started writing this recipe up, I thought that actually this might be kind of a mean recipe to send to someone who is about to experience the full on experience of life with a newborn. But then I realised that hopefully, it might be a little bit inspiring instead. My little guy is going to be eight months old when this blog post goes live, and I've made fresh pasta twice since he was born. So, although it might feel as though life will never stop being about nappies and feeding and figuring out how to stop the baby crying, it really does get a bit more normal eventually. A new kind of normal, one that involves a lot of nappies and feeding and figuring out how to stop the baby crying, but it definitely gets easier.

Now, I have to admit that I have some kit for this. I have a basic pasta machine from Lakeland and a little ravioli press. I make pasta pretty regularly (well, 3-4 times a year), so for me it was worth getting. But you can still make great pasta just using a rolling pin and a knife. Just make sure you roll the pasta out as thin as you possibly can. Especially with ravioli, which is essentially two layers of pasta sandwiched together, it's important to get it super thin.

This recipe is my attempt to cling on to summer. It's light and fresh and pretty delicious, too.

Courgette & Thyme Ravvioli

- Serves 4 - 

For the pasta:

300g 00 flour*

3 eggs plus 1 egg for sticking the ravioli together

Salt

For the filling:

1 large courgette

Leaves from 3 sprigs thyme

250g ricotta

1/2 tsp chilli flakes

1 tsp honey

Salt and pepper

For the sauce:

1 knob of butter (about the size of your thumb)

3-4 sage leaves, finely chopped

Leaves from 1-2 thyme sprigs

*I have made pasta with regular flour before, and it usually turns out fine.

- Make the pasta dough. Combine the flour, salt and 3 eggs in a bowl until you get a wet paste. Most recipes suggest creating a 'volcano' with the flour, with the eggs sat in the crater, but literally every single time I try this (including this time), I end up with egg on the floor. So, I recommend mixing them in a bowl until you have a paste. Then flour your surface, wash your hands, and start kneading. The dough needs to be kneaded for around 10-15 minutes. It should feel silky when you rub your thumb against it. Pop in some cling film to rest for around 30 minutes.

- Make the filling. Finely chop the courgette and lightly fry with the thyme leaves in a tiny bit of olive oil for a couple of minutes. You want the courgette to be softened, but not browned. Take off the heat and allow to cool completely, then mix together with the other ingredients in a bowl.

-  Make the ravioli. Roll out the pasta in your machine or using a rolling pin. Once you have some long sheets of pasta, you can start filling the pasta. Scoop a little bit of filling (around a teaspoon) and place at even distances apart. Use your finger to brush some egg along the bits you want to stick together, then add another layer of pasta on top and press. If you're using a ravioli press, this bit's easy. If you're going manual, you can crimp the edges using a fork. You basically need them to be as stuck together as possible so that they don't split in the boiling water.

-  Bring a big pot of water to the boil and throw the ravioli in. It will take 3-4 minutes to cook, depending on how thick the pasta is. Drain and serve straight into bowls.

- While the pasta is cooking, make the sauce. Melt the knob of butter over a medium heat, then add the sage leaves and cook for a couple of minutes. The butter should start to go a little brown. 

- Dress the plate. Drizzle a little bit of browned butter over the top of each bowl of pasta, then grate some parmesan and grind some pepper over each bowl, and finally sprinkle with thyme leaves.

This dish takes a bit of effort, but is so delicious. Plus, it does go quite a long way. I can't vouch for how many you would get with a rolling pin, but this recipe gave me enough pasta and filling to make around 60 squares of ravioli, which will serve 4 people. However, when I make pasta I usually divide the dough in two so that my husband and I can have ravioli one night and then something more straightforward, like tagliatelle, then next. 

Enjoy!

This recipe is by Katie from BeNourishd. Katie is a food obsessed urban gardener, and you can find out more about her here www.benourishd.co.uk. Find her on Twitter here https://twitter.com/BeNourishd or Instagram here https://instagram.com/katiemorwenna/.

This post has been scheduled in advance as I am currently taking two months maternity leave from blogging to be with my baby. All comments will be answered in time, thank you in advance for being patient.